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Caitlin Clements

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor
Office
E340 Corbett Family Hall
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Email
cclemen2@nd.edu

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Breakthrough Research on Autism & Inclusive Neurodevelopment (BRAIN) Lab

Professor Clements is open to admitting graduate students for fall 2024 matriculation.

Primary Area: Clinical

Research and teaching interests

autism spectrum disorder, neurodevelopment, EEG, genetic syndromes, reward processing, community-partnered research

Biography

Dr. Clements' research focuses on neurodevelopment, and she is particularly interested in research that supports autistic individuals and individuals with rare genetic syndromes and their families. Dr. Clements is currently working in three main areas: 1) studying how the neural mechanisms of reward processing develop in neurotypical and neurodivergent infants and children using EEG and eye-tracking; 2) partnering with the local autism community to pursue a joint research project; and 3) understanding possible genetic mechanisms underlying autism through rare genetic syndromes associated with autism (e.g., Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, 22q11.2DS/DupS).

Education

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Boston Children's Hospital
Ph.D., Psychology, University of Pennsylvania
B.S., Psychology, Yale University

Approach to Mentoring

Dr. Clements takes a developmental approach to mentoring that involves meeting the student where they are. She strives to scaffold growth, and encourages a high level of independence by first offering a high level of support. Dr. Clements requests direct, ongoing communication from students about their goals, potential obstacles, and level of commitment. Integrity, along with student well-being and mental health, are highly valued.